What’s next for Rangers after brutal Igor Shesterkin injury news
As if things couldn’t get worse for the New York Rangers before the New Year arrives, Igor Shesterkin reportedly if heading to IR with an upper-body injury. As a result, veteran goalie Louis Domingue was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.
The Rangers haven’t officially announced Shesterkin’s injury designation, but it’s been reported by the New York Post and The Athletic, among other outlets. Domingue, though, was officially recalled.
Shesterkin made 21 saves in a 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday. He played the entire game. However, he was in a major collision with Florida forward Sam Bennett in the third period when Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren checked him hard from behind accidentally into the Rangers No. 1 goalie. Shesterkin got up quickly but was shaking his head afterward.
It’s not known if that’s when he sustained an injury, or if he possibly has been playing hurt for a while.
Though spectacular at times, Shesterkin has struggled this season, often mirroring the Rangers woes as a team. Shesterkin, who turned 29 Monday, is 11-15-1 with a 3.10 goals-against average and .906 save percentage, the worst numbers of his stellar six-year NHL career. He’s allowed four or more goals in 10 of his 27 starts and was pulled in two of his past six starts.
It was just three weeks ago that Shesterkin signed the richest contract for a goalie in NHL history. Beginning next season, Shesterkin will earn $11.5 million annually on an eight-year, $92 million contract.
The news hits the Rangers at the worst possible time. They’ve lost four in a row, seven of eight and are 4-15-0 in their past 19 games. They reside in last place in the Metropolitan Division.
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What’s next after Igor Shesterkin lands on injured reserve for Rangers
Here’s the lay of the land now that the Rangers are without their No. 1 goaltender.
Early Igor Shesterkin timetable
By being placed on injured reserve, Shesterkin must miss a minimum of three games. So, that means he’ll be out at least through Sunday, missing games against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, Washington Capitals on Saturday and Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
Perhaps coach Peter Laviolette will shed more light on the goalie’s timetable when the Rangers practice Wednesday. But that’s unlikely. He’ll likely play it close to the vest and state that Shesterkin is out the rest of the week. It’s not expected that the Rangers will announce the nature of Shesterkin’s injury, especially if it’s an issue with his head.
Beginning Thursday, the Rangers play five games in 10 days. They are scheduled to play 14 games in the month of January.
It’s Jonathan Quick time
If there’s any silver lining here, it’s that the Rangers have a three-time Stanley Cup champion as their No. 2 goalie. Jonathan Quick will step in with Shesterkin injured and receive the bulk of playing time. The 38-year-old is 5-4-0 in 12 games (nine starts) with a 2.69 GAA, .907 save percentage and two shutouts this season.
He was invaluable in 2023-24 when Shesterkin a had a minor injury early in the season and later needed time to re-set after a string of poor starts around the All-Star break. Quick won 18 games last season and posted a 2.62 GAA.
Quick brings a steadying, been-there-done-that presence to the Rangers net. He led the Kings to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 (against the Rangers) and was a backup when the Vegas Golden Knights won it all in 2023.
The only question here is how much a workload he can handle at his age if Shesterkin is out for a stretch of time.
Louis Domingue recalled from Hartford
The Rangers opted to recall Domingue instead of 22-year-old Dylan Garand from Hartford to be the No. 2 goalie in Shesterkin’s absence. Garand’s been the better goalie this season (9-4-2 with a 2.25 GAA and .926 save percentage) but has never played an NHL game in three professional seasons.
Domingue, 32, was signed two years ago precisely for this situation. He’s the No. 3 goalie in the organization and has 143 games of NHL experience with seven teams, including one start (a win) with the Rangers last season.
He’s best remembered by the Rangers for his terrific fill-in play for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first-round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Domingue stepped in for the injured Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith and helped force a Game 7 before the Rangers took the series with a thrilling overtime win.
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